Iceland: The Island With Endless Days
Everyday we experience sunset on Earth- we are so accustomed to the diurnal cycle of our planet that it is a process which goes by unnoticed by most of its inhabitants. There is nothing unusual about the way in which our source of light rises and sets from East to West everyday of the year. But to go backwards from darkness to light- from night time to day time- in the space of just three hours was for me a very unusual occurrence. I closed my eyes to darkness before take-off and was awakened by a bright stream of light less than an hour later as our flight from London to Reykjavik made its merry way above the clouds. From the boarding of the plane to our landing, I experienced two sunsets in one evening, though the latter was not quite a sun-set as the sky was left in a deep shade of navy- almost a state of perpetual twilight- and began to rise again three hours later...
Having always travelled to countries on the South of Britain, I had the anticipation of going to an Arctic country which would be a truly unique experience. The Arctic region has fascinated me from a young age, hence why I had decided to do an Open University module on 'The Frozen Planet' during my A levels to further my knowledge on this faraway land. Although Iceland is just outside the border of the Arctic circle, it is probably as close to Greenland as I will ever get. The temperature was a whole 20 degrees colder than London, which proved to be a real struggle to pack for given that we were going on a budget student holiday and had to live out of a backpack for two days. Nevertheless, this was another new practice for me and escalated the sense of adventure. Is it not fascinating that the temperature difference is so great even compared to rainy London? The sphere shape of the Earth means that higher latitudes receive considerably less energy compared to lower latitudes as the Sun's energy has a much longer path to travel through the atmosphere and is spread over a larger area. Moreover, the Earth's axis of rotation is at an angle of 23.4º to the vertical, meaning that the direction the axis points to changes relative to the Sun throughout the year, and is the reason why Iceland gets only 4 hours of daylight in winter and almost round-the-clock daylight in summer.
Being one of the wildest and least populated countries on Earth, the untouched beauty of Iceland was evident the moment we started our drive in the morning. Iceland straddles one of the world’s most volatile geological features- the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. This is a massive tectonic plate boundary which splits the island in half, and spreads at an approximate rate of 2.5cm a year. Magma rises to fill this space, and it is this volcanic activity that forms Iceland’s bedrock. What’s even more spectacular is that the construction of the island is far from over, as it is still home to over 100 volcanoes and more geothermal activity than any other country on Earth, making the island a geological hotspot. These geothermal areas are divided into high and low temperature areas depending on the nature of the geothermal system. Hence, the high temperature area Geysir was one of the first stops on our road trip. Geysir is a geothermal area within the volcanic zone with a base temperature of 250ºC. The ground-shaking thrust 43-54m of geothermal water into the air was quite literally breathtaking to watch. Eruptions took place every 15 minutes, eventually making it a pleasant hand-warming opportunity!
Although I was nervous about driving outside the UK for the first time, it was much easier than anticipated due to the lack of traffic on the roads. Driving around Iceland turned out to be a wonderful way to experience all the wonders of nature around us at our own pace. In addition to the lack of traffic, there was a lack of civilisation in general, and the sparsity of grazing farm animals on the greenery around us was difficult to miss. The country's landscape is so barren that Icelanders are forced to live on the edge, in coastal towns and cities. The capital city Reykjavik is home to almost 40% of the island's population which itself is 336,701 compared to Britain's 66.57 million!
The grand waterfalls of the Golden Circle (Gullfoss and Seljalandsfoss) were an absolute pleasure to hike around, and undoubtedly the highlight of our trip. Despite running on two hours sleep, being surrounded by such magnificent falls of water was the most refreshing experience in the world. As Surah Qaf reminds us, 'And the Earth, We spread it out, and cast therein firmly set mountains and We have made to grow therein of all beautiful kinds; to give sight and as a reminder to every servant who turns to Allah' (50:7-8). What a privilege it was to visit a land filled with such stunning reminders of God's power! Charlotte Bronte also echoes this sentiment in one of my favourite books of all time, Jane Eyre: 'We feel His presence most when His works are on the grandest scale spread before us; it is in the sunset, in the unclouded night-sky, where His worlds wheel their silent course, that we read clearest His infinitude, His omnipotence, His omnipresence'. Standing facing just one of many waterfalls created by Him, unable to keep my eyes open for more than a brief second, getting beaten by the forceful gush of water from above, it was impossible not to feel humbled. When one is reminded of their smallness, powerlessness, dependence, in short, the full extent of their worth- or more accurately their worthlessness- before God's infinite Grandeur, one is filled with an overwhelming sense of humility, alongside tafakkur (deep reflection).
Besides its expensive but delicious food and coffee, the people were another highlight of the island for me. As a visibly muslim girl, one always hesitates about people's reception before going to a new place- especially when your trip includes a visit to a geothermal spa and you wearing every hijabi's worst nightmare: the burkini. As the name suggests, this is the modest alternative to a bikini, a swimsuit made especially for hijabis. Although the designs have massively improved in recent years from what I remember my mother having to wear when I was younger, it is still not the most flattering sight- especially when everyone else around you is rocking their more conventional swimwear. What is more, I had never worn my burkini in a non-muslim country before, which just added to the apprehension. Feeling more unattractive than ever, we entered the warm waters of the Blue Lagoon, found an empty corner, and decided to enjoy our view of the midnight sunset amidst the cliffs.
At one point, my friend and I left our spot to glide along to the bar to get a refreshing smoothie. I had not noticed the pair of beautiful blonde girls standing adjacent to us in the queue until one of them asked 'excuse me, but is this a kind of hijab for swimming?' as she pointed at our burkinis. She happened to be a fashion designer who liked exploring alternative wear. She then asked if we minded her feeling the material, upon which she complimented the design and texture of our suits. After we admitted feeling self-conscious in them, she exclaimed 'no way! For me you girls are magical. I'm just this slut, whereas you guys are beautiful'. After conversing a little more we wished each other well, and she told us to 'stay beautiful' as she floated away with her drink. It turns out that by going to a place where most modest muslim girls might refrain from going, we were able to help others understand who we are and what we stand for. In a way, we challenged stereotypes, corrected misconceptions, and reduced prejudice. In turn, our own perception of those 'others' was corrected and we gained a level of understanding in their values. I ended up feeling less alien in Iceland's Blue Lagoon than I did wearing my burkini in the predominantly 'muslim' Turkey's Alanya. There is really no place dialogue between different faiths and groups cannot take place, and so much it can achieve. It was as if God was sending us a message to boost our confidence through the compliments of this beautiful blonde girl...
